The Nexus between the Ballot and Bullet: Popular Support for the PKK and Post-election Violence in Turkey

This study examines the relationship between popular support for the Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK), which is an ethnic insurgent and terrorist organization mainly operating in Turkey, and its terrorist activities during the pre-and post-election periods in Turkey . Popular support has been measured through popular votes for the political party affiliated with the PKK in 1999 general, 2004 local and 2007 general elections. Two leading theories of social movements, Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) and Relative Deprivation Theory (RD), were used as theoretical approach. The study uses secondary data and constructs a longitudinal design. An advanced statistical analysis technique, a generalized hierarchical linear model: time nested within subjects (or GHLM repeated measures) was employed in this study. Findings indicate that popular support is positively related to terrorist attacks of the PKK in Turkey. More popular support for the insurgent leads to more terrorist attacks. Furthermore, terrorist attacks gradually increased over the pre-election period of general elections. However, terrorist attacks abruptly increased upon the election but then subsequent terrorist attacks decline over the post-election periods.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Public Policy & Administration

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Gergin, Nadir

Contributors dc:contributor

• William W. Newmann

• Kurdistan Worker's Party
• PKK
• Insurgency
• Terrorism
• Counterterrorism
• electoral terrorism
• post-election terrorism
• pre-election terrorism
• Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• © The Author

Identifier

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/426

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-1425